Michael Horne facts for kids

Michael Rex Horne (born December 29, 1921 – died January 6, 2000) was an important English engineer and scientist. He was a structural engineer, which means he designed and built structures like bridges and buildings. Michael Horne was famous for creating a new way to design strong structures. This method is called the Plastic Design of Structures.

Early Life and School

Michael Horne was born in Leicester, England. This was on December 29, 1921. He went to two different schools: Boston Grammar School and Leeds Grammar School. After that, he studied at St John's College, Cambridge. He was a very bright student. In 1941, he graduated with top honors in Mechanical Sciences.

His Engineering Career

After finishing college, Michael Horne started working. He was an assistant engineer for the River Great Ouse Catchment Board. Later, he returned to Cambridge. There, he worked with other famous engineers. These included John Baker, Baron Baker and Bernard Neal.

In 1960, Michael Horne became a professor. He taught Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester. He also helped investigate why some large bridges collapsed. This was part of the Merrison Committee. His work helped make bridges safer.

Michael Horne was also the President of the Institution of Structural Engineers. He held this important position from 1980 to 1981. This is a big honor for an engineer.

Awards and Honors

Michael Horne received many awards for his work. These awards showed how much his ideas helped engineering.

• In 1981, he received an honorary degree from the University of Salford.
• The Institution of Civil Engineers gave him awards in 1956, 1966, and 1978. He also received their Baker Medal in 1977.
• The Institution of Structural Engineers honored him too. He received their Henry Adams award in 1970-71. He also got their Oscar Faber Bronze medal in 1972-73.
• In 1986, he won the Gold Medal of the Institution of Structural Engineers. This is one of the highest awards an engineer can get. He also received their Kerensky Medal in 1988.

Books He Wrote

Michael Horne also wrote books about his engineering ideas. These books helped other engineers learn from his work.

• One book was called The Steel Skeleton I, II. He wrote this with J. F. Baker and J. Heyman in 1956.
• Another important book was Plastic Theory of Structures. This book explained his famous design method.